The present invention relates to a steerable sled equipped with runner means such as one or more pair of skis.
The presently marketed sleds are equipped with a pair of monobloc, essentially stiff (fixed position) runners, which do not allow the direction of the sled to be easily controlled when travelling downhill along snow-covered slopes, above all when the need arises for changing the direction of sled travel and sled angular orientation with respect to the ground. The above mentioned sleds are also very stiff, and generally do not display any compensation for the unevennesses of the ground, thus increasing the difficulty in controlling the sled.
Motor-driven sleds are known however, which are provided with a pair of front steering runners, thus enabling the driver to change the direction of sled travel. During this operation, or when travelling downhill along particularly steep slopes, the roadholding of this sled is accomplished both by the rear traction crawlers, as well as by particular profiles provided on the lower surface of the runners. which profiles penetrate the mantle of snow in an edge-like fashion, so to increase the road-holding capabilities of the sled.
Anyone can easily realize how the steerability of such sleds may become difficult, above all when the motor drive is not present, and when particularly steep or uneven paths must be run along.
Accordingly, it is a purpose of the invention to provide a sled capable of overcoming the above mentioned drawbacks, which also allows a high level of maneuverability level and control, even on considerably steep slopes, independently on the type of path, and of the angular orientation of the sled and its direction of travel, and on the unevennesses of the ground.
This, and still other objects and advantages according to the present invention are achieved by providing a steerable sled equipped with runner means such as one or more pair of skis for sliding on snow or the like comprising a chassis associated with said runner means, characterized in that the sled comprises a direction-control apparatus having a steering wheel mounted to a steering column, a suspension system interposed between said chassis and said runner means, said direction-control apparatus comprising furthermore at least a pair of triple-hinge members, each defining three mutually perpendicular rotational axes, with one of said rotational axes being perpendicular to the support plane of said runner means, at least one pair of hinge members being interposed between said chassis and at least one of the pair of said runner means, and being associated with means for the remote-control, through said steering column, of the rotation of said runner means.